Gurney Restraint System

ABSTRACT

The embodiments described and claimed herein are a restraint system for securing a gurney in a vehicle. In one embodiment, a conventional antler and rail-type gurney restraint system is improved by the addition of a center latch restraint that engages with a latch member secured by a support bracket to the underside of the gurney. In one configuration, the latch member enters into engagement with the center latch restraint through lateral movement of the control end of the gurney. In that respect, the EMT may use the same autonomic movements used with the conventional antler and rail-type system to secure the gurney in the vehicle. Optionally, one or more of the gurney occupant restraint belts are directly connected to the support bracket, whereby occupant loads during an accident will bypass the gurney and occupant head excursions can be reduced.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present disclosure is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 16/140,004, filed Sep. 24, 2018, entitled “Gurney Restraint System,”the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The embodiments described and claimed herein relate generally to gurneyrestraint systems for emergency vehicles. One embodiment comprises agurney restraint system with features that integrate with typicalambulances to provide both forward and reverse compatibility withgurneys and ambulances deployed in the fleet.

Background Art

Ambulances are typically fitted with gurney restraint systems designedto prevent movement of a gurney (also referred to as a cot) when theambulance is negotiating traffic conditions in an emergency-typeenvironment. It is critical that these securement systems are capable ofkeeping the gurney, and the patient, firmly restrained in the event thatthe vehicle undergoes sudden driving maneuvers or a crash.

Typically, gurneys are secured with a standard antler and rail systemthat stabilizes the head end (also referred to as the loading end) ofthe gurney with a floor-mounted antler device and fixes the foot end(also referred to as the control end) of the gurney with a floor- orwall-mounted rail. In these systems, patients are typically secured tothe gurney with one or more belts attached to the gurney frame, wherethe belts are designed to prevent movement of the patient during acollision.

One example of such a prior art antler and rail system is the FernoModel 175 Fastening System (“Ferno System”) 700 shown in FIGS. 1-5. TheFerno System 700 typically includes a floor-mounted antler 710 and awall- or floor-mounted rail 720. To secure a gurney 730 in the FernoSystem 700, an emergency medical technician (“EMT”) will roll a gurney730 into the ambulance and guide the gurney 730 into the antler 710 atan angle while keeping the control end 732 of the gurney 730 away fromthe rail 720, as best shown in FIG. 2. The EMT will continue to push thegurney 730 into the ambulance at an angle until the wheel fork 734 ofthe loading wheel 736 on the side opposite the rail 720 engages a hookportion 712 of the antler 710, as best shown in FIG. 3. Then, the EMTwill slide the control end 732 of the gurney 730 in the direction A ofthe rail 720 (a lateral direction) until the jaws (a clamp) 722, 724,which are spring loaded, close around a fastener post 740 that issecured to the frame 742 on the control end 732 on the gurney 730, asbest shown in FIG. 4.

To remove the gurney 730 from the Ferno System 700, the EMT will unlockthe rail 720 by pushing the release handle 726 in direction B, whichwill place the jaws 722, 724 in an open position. The loading stepsdescribed above are then performed in reverse. To prevent the gurney 730from inadvertently rolling out of the back of the ambulance during theunloading process, the Ferno System 700 will typically include a safetyhook 750 that is installed on the ambulance floor near the rear doors.The safety hook 750 catches a safety bar 746 located at the loading end738 of the gurney 730, as best shown in FIG. 5, to ensure that theloading end 738 of the gurney 730 remains secure inside the ambulancewhile the operators raise or lower the undercarriage 744 of the gurney730 during loading or unloading. The safety bar 746 is biased in alowered position so that it lies at about the same elevation as thesafety hook 750, and may be raised by hand, after the undercarriage 744is fully lowered, to allow the gurney 730 to be fully removed from theambulance.

When it comes to safety, most prior art gurney restraint systems lagbehind other types of restraint systems, such as those used to securewheelchairs and wheelchair passengers. In particular, conventionalgurney restraint systems, such as the Ferno System 700, are not adaptedto adequately withstand the G forces exerted on the gurney and thepatient during a crash. As a result, gurneys may come loose from theantler and rail assemblies during crashes, which can result in injury toboth the patient and to the attendants in the vehicle.

The shortcomings of the prior art gurney restraint systems are at leastpartly due to the nature and urgency of ambulance utilization. Underemergency conditions, patients are often frail and must be transportedrapidly, leaving less time to firmly secure the gurney to the vehicle.Patients also often must receive care during transportation, and assuch, the restraint systems must occupy a limited amount of space sothat the emergency medical personnel can easily navigate around thepatient. Overall complexity may also be a barrier to ambulance restraintsystems, as the associated manufacturing costs can be prohibitive.

New standards, such as SAE J3027, KKK-A-182(A-F), CAAS GVS-2015, andNFPA 1917, require improved securement in ambulances for the safety ofboth the patient and the ambulance attendants. For instance, certainstandards now require the load bearing surfaces of a gurney to remainintact during front and rear side crash tests, and may limit occupanthead excursions. Several gurney manufacturers have made availablealternative devices that have improved crash safety. However, adoptionof these devices has been very slow as a result of exorbitant costs andloss of forward and reverse compatibility within existing ambulancefleets. These newer systems are large, cumbersome, and complex and havecosts that are prohibitive for large scale deployment. They are alsodifficult to remove for servicing and contain many trapping points forfilth and contaminates.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to have a gurney restraint systemthat is not only designed to provide sufficient securement against Gforces expected in a typical crash, but also is simple, low cost, anduser friendly. It would additionally be desirable for this restraintsystem to be compatible with standard ambulance and gurney restraintdesigns, and to allow an EMT to use the same autonomic movements usedwith the conventional systems.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The embodiments described and claimed herein solve at least some of theproblems of the prior art.

In one embodiment described and claimed herein, a prior art type gurneyrestraint system comprises a combination of a first gurney restraint forengaging with a loading end of the gurney, a second gurney restraint forengaging with a side of the gurney, and a third gurney restraint forengaging with a center region of the gurney. The first gurney restraintmay be an antler-type restraint that includes a hook portion forreceiving a wheel fork of the gurney. The second gurney restraint may bea rail-type restraint that includes a clamp for receiving a side memberof the gurney. The third restraint may be a latch-type restraint thatreceives a latch member located on the underside of the gurney. Thesecond gurney restraint and the third gurney restraint may be relativelypositioned in the vehicle to lockingly engage with the gurney atapproximately the same time in response to a lateral movement of thegurney. The third restraint may include a support bracket fixed to theunderside of the gurney for holding the latch member. One or more of theoccupant belts on the gurney may be directly connected to the supportbracket so that occupant loads passing through those belts during anaccident substantially bypass the gurney. In this way, the occupantloads are passed directly to the third gurney restraint, rather thanpassing through the gurney, which may not be designed to handle the fulloccupant load during a typical accident scenario.

In another embodiment, the third restraint may be provided incombination with a fourth restraint that is configured to preventrotation of the gurney during an accident. The fourth restraint may takethe form of one of either the first or second restraint described above.

These and additional embodiments described and claimed below provide asecurement system that locks and stabilizes a patient gurney into anambulance vehicle with features that provide both forward and reversecompatibility with gurneys and ambulances already on the market. Thesecurement system is simple to operate and can be easily removed forservicing and cleaning. Its intuitive nature allows easy operationduring times of high task load or stress. Additionally, the improvedharness secures the patient further in the event of the crash, whilefacilitating ease of vital access by ambulance attendants, allowingbetter patient care.

Other embodiments, which include some combination of the featuresdiscussed above and below, and other features which are known in theart, are contemplated as falling within the claims even if suchembodiments are not specifically identified and discussed herein.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a prior art gurney restraint system;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view showing how an EMT loads and secures a gurneyin the prior art gurney restraint system;

FIG. 3 is a close-up perspective view showing how the loading end of agurney is restrained in the antlers of the prior art gurney restraintsystem;

FIG. 4 is a close-up perspective view showing how the control end orside of a gurney is restrained in the rail of the prior art gurneyrestraint system;

FIG. 5 is a close-up perspective view showing the safety hook of theprior art gurney restraint system in use;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a first embodiment of the present gurneyrestraint system;

FIG. 7 is a first top plan view showing how an EMT loads and secures agurney in the first embodiment of the present gurney restraint system;

FIG. 8 is second top plan view showing how an EMT loads and secures agurney in the first embodiment of the present gurney restraint system;

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of the center restraint assembly for thefirst embodiment of the present gurney restraint system;

FIG. 10 is a first perspective view showing the underside of the releasemember for the first embodiment of the present gurney restraint system;

FIG. 11 is a second perspective view showing the underside of therelease member for the first embodiment of the present gurney restraintsystem;

FIG. 12 is a first perspective view showing the internal components ofthe center latch (inverted) for the first embodiment of the presentgurney restraint system;

FIG. 13 is a second perspective view showing the internal components ofthe center latch (inverted) for the first embodiment of the presentgurney restraint system;

FIG. 14 is a close-up perspective view showing the locking engagementsurfaces of the links inside of of the center latch (inverted) for thefirst embodiment of the present gurney restraint system;

FIG. 15 is a side perspective view of the center latch for the firstembodiment of the present gurney restraint system;

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a first alternative embodiment of arelease member for the present gurney restraint system that includevisual indicia of the locking state of the restraint system;

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of a second alternative embodiment of arelease member for the present gurney restraint system that includevisual indicia of the locking state of the restraint system;

FIG. 18 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of a siderail and center latch for the present gurney restraint system;

FIG. 19 is a side view of a lever mechanism for the alternativeembodiment of a side rail and center latch for the present gurneyrestraint system;

FIG. 20 is a perspective view of a four-point harness or occupantrestraint for the gurney of the present gurney restraint system;

FIG. 21 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the presentgurney restraint system that includes an electronic release system;

FIG. 22 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of the centerlatch for the present gurney restraint system that includes visual orauditory indicia of the locking state of the restraint system;

FIG. 23 is a perspective view of an alternative embodiment of theoccupant harness that includes visual indicia of the locking state ofthe restraint system and/or the occupant restraint.

It should be understood that the drawings are not necessarily to scaleand that the embodiments are sometimes illustrated by graphic symbols,phantom lines, diagrammatic representations and fragmentary views. Incertain instances, details which are not necessary for an understandingof the embodiments described and claimed herein or which render otherdetails difficult to perceive may have been omitted. It should beunderstood, of course, that the inventions described herein are notnecessarily limited to the particular embodiments illustrated. Indeed,it is expected that persons of ordinary skill in the art may devise anumber of alternative configurations that are similar and equivalent tothe embodiments shown and described herein without departing from thespirit and scope of the claims.

Like reference numerals will be used to refer to like or similar partsfrom Figure to Figure in the following detailed description of thedrawings.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIGS. 6-23 show various embodiments and components of a gurney restraintsystem 1.

FIG. 6, in particular, shows a first embodiment of a gurney restraintsystem 1 for securing a gurney 10. In the first embodiment, the gurneyrestraint system 1 comprises a conventional gurney restraintsystem—including one similar to the Ferno System 700 described above,that includes a first (or loading end) restraint (such as antlers, asshown) 30 and a second (control end or side) restraint (such as a rail,as shown, also referred to herein as a side latch) 40—in combinationwith a third (or center) restraint (such as an anchor assembly, asshown) 100. The anchor assembly 100 may comprise four main components:(1) a center latch 200; (2) a center latch pin 240 adapted to be fixedto a load, such as the gurney 10, and to be releasably secured by thecenter latch 200; (3) a release member 130 that substitutes for thesafety hook 750 of the prior art and can be manipulated to release thecenter latch pin 240 from the center latch 200; and (4) a push linkageassembly 160 that interconnects the release member 130 and the centerlatch 200.

The anchor assembly 100 is configured to allow use of the same autonomicmovements that an EMT would use to secure a gurney 10 in the FernoSystem 700, as described above. In particular, to secure the gurney 10in the gurney restraint system 1, an EMT will roll the gurney 10 intothe ambulance and guide the gurney 10 into the antlers 30 at an anglewhile keeping the control end 12 of the gurney 10 away from the sidelatch 40, as best shown in FIG. 7. The EMT will continue to push thegurney 10 into the ambulance at an angle until the wheel fork 16 of theloading wheel 18 on the side opposite the rail 40 engages the antler 30.Then, the EMT will slide the control end 12 of the gurney 730 in thedirection C of the side latch 40 until the jaws 42, 44 close around(i.e., clamp) a fastener post 20 that is secured to the frame 22 on thecontrol end 12 on the gurney 10, as best shown in FIG. 8. At or aboutthe same time the fastener post 20 is received and secured by the sidelatch 40, the center latch pin 240 will be received and secured by thecenter latch 200.

To remove the gurney 10 from the gurney restraint system 1, the EMT willunlock the rail 40 pushing the release handle 46 in direction D, whichwill place the jaws 42, 44 in an open position. The EMT will alsomanipulate the release member 130 to release the center latch pin 240from the center latch 200. The loading steps described above are thenperformed in reverse. To prevent the gurney 10 from inadvertentlyrolling out of the back of the ambulance during the unloading process,the release member 130 is installed on the ambulance floor near the reardoors and includes a safety hook portion 136. The safety hook portion136 catches a safety bar 24 located at the loading end 14 of the gurney10, in the same manner as the prior art safety hook 750 shown in FIG. 5,to ensure that the loading end 14 of the gurney 10 remains inside theambulance while the operators raise or lower the undercarriage 26 of thegurney 10 during loading or unloading.

Use of the anchor assembly 100 with a conventional Ferno-type system inthis manner provides additional stability for the patient gurney 10beyond that which can be provided by the prior art system alone, thuspreventing unintended movement that is discomforting and potentiallydangerous for both the patient and accompanying attendant. The anchorassembly 100 also reduces the chance of failure in the event of a crash,as compared to use of the Ferno-type restraint system along.

Turning now to FIG. 9, the anchor assembly 100 is shown in apartially-exploded view. The anchor assembly 100 is installed in theambulance by, first, attaching a center latch mounting member (or base)101 and a release member mounting member (or base) 103 to the ambulancefloor using known techniques, such as bolting. The attachment may bepermanent or detachable by hand or tool. The center latch mountingmember 101 may be a center latch mounting plate 102. Likewise, therelease member mounting member 103 may be a release member mountingplate 104.

The mounting plates 102, 104 may be located in specific, spaced-apartpositions relative to the optimal secured position of the gurney 10. Ascan be seen in FIGS. 6-8, the center latch mounting plate 102 may beinstalled to the ambulance floor directly underneath and near the centerof the location where the gurney 10 will be secured in the ambulance(either or both laterally and longitudinally). The release membermounting plate 104 may be installed near the ambulance rear doors andlaterally aligned with approximately the center of the location wherethe gurney 10 will be secured in the ambulance, although preferably toone side of center. In that respect, most or all of the anchor assembly100 will be located underneath the gurney 10 when in use, therebypreserving valuable space in the ambulance that is needed by the EMT tonavigate around the patient. For the avoidance of doubt, the exactlocation of the mounting plates 102, 104 may be modified as necessaryaccording to the design requirements of the ambulance and the gurney 10.

As depicted in the figures, the center latch mounting plate 102 may bepermanently bolted to the floor of the ambulance using bolts 105 and mayinclude mounting details 106 for securely engaging with the center latch200. The mounting details 106 may be any form of connector forconnecting with the center latch 200. As depicted, the mounting details106 comprise headed studs 108 with a base shaft portion 110 and a headportion 112, where the head portion 112 has a larger diameter or sizethan the base shaft portion 110. The headed studs 108 are configured toengage with keyhole slots 206 in the center latch 200. Moreparticularly, the keyhole slots 206 include an opening portion 208 thatis continuous with a slot portion 210. The opening portion 208 may beround (or any other shape that corresponds to head portion 112) and mayhave a diameter or size that corresponds with (slightly larger than) thediameter or size of the head portion 112, and allows the head portion112 to be received therethrough. The base shaft portion 110 may becircular in cross section, or any other shape, such as square. The widthof the slot portion 210 corresponds with (slightly larger than) thediameter or width of the base shaft portion 110 (but, the width of theslot portion 210 is smaller than the diameter or width of the headportion 112), whereby the headed stud 108 can be slid relative to andinto locking engagement with the keyhole slot 206. With the base shaftportion 110 positioned within the slot portion 210, the stud 108 willnot be able to be removed from the keyhole slot 206 due to thedimensional differences between the width of the slot portion 210 andthe diameter of the head portion 112. It is contemplated that the bolts105 and mounting details 106 may be combined into a single component, asdescribed below for bolts 118 that secure the release member mountingplate 104 to the ambulance floor.

The center latch mounting plate 102 may further include a cutout 114 forreceiving a first end 181 and/or center latch manipulating member 184 ofthe push linkage assembly 160, as described in more detail below. Thecenter latch mounting plate 102 may further include a center latchengagement member 115, such as a bore 116, for engaging with a mountingplate engagement member 212 disposed on the center latch 200, forsecuring the center latch 200 to the center latch mounting plate 102.

The release member mounting plate 104 may also be permanently bolted tothe floor of the vehicle and include mounting details for securingengaging with the release member 130. The bolts and mounting details forthe release member mounting plate 104 may be separate components, aswith the center latch mounting plate 102. Alternatively, as shown, thebolts 118 that secure the release member mounting plate 104 to the floorthemselves may include the mounting details 120 at their top end. Themounting details 120 may be any form of connector for connecting withthe release member, although, as depicted, the mounting details 120 areessentially the same as the mounting details 106 present on the centerlatch mounting member 102, and engage with keyhole slots 134 disposed onthe underside of the release member 130 in a similar way as the mountingdetails 106 engage with keyhole slots 206.

It is contemplated that another embodiment of the anchor assembly 100(not shown) may omit the mounting members 101, 103 (i.e., mountingplates 102, 104). In such an embodiment, the mountings details for therelease member 130 and center latch 200 may be provided by the floor ofthe ambulance, for example by directly attaching bolts with mountingdetails (similar to bolts 118) to the ambulance floor.

After the mounting plates 102, 104 (or mounting details, in thealternative embodiment) are installed on the ambulance floor, but beforethe release member 130 and center latch 200 are installed, the pushlinkage assembly 160 may be inserted in the space separating themounting plates 102, 104. The push linkage assembly 160 may comprisechannel member 162 and link (or sliding bar) 180. The channel member 162may define a longitudinally aligned raised portion 164 and depressedside members 166, which, when placed on the ambulance floor, may definea channel 168 within which the link 180 is disposed, enclosed, andprotected. As shown, however, the channel member 162 is comprised of anupper member 163 and a lower member 165. The upper member 163 has aninverted U-shape, while the lower member 165 serves as a generally flatbase. The upper member 163 and lower member 165, when assembled, definethe channel 168 within which the link 180 is disposed, enclosed, andprotected. It is contemplated that the upper member 163 and lower member165 need not be separate components, but may be formed as a unitarymember, such as by extrusion.

In any event, the channel 168 is configured to receive the link 180 andallows the link 180 to slide or translate back and forth in alongitudinal direction. The opposite ends of the channel member 162 maydefine flanges 170, 172 that abut or engage corresponding edges of themounting plates 102, 104 that include corresponding flanges. Flanges170, 172 and the flanges at the edges of the mounting plates 102, 104prevent lateral movement of the push link assembly 160 relative to themounting plates 102, 104. The link 180 is longer than the channel member162 and has a first end 181 that may extend beyond flange 170 and asecond end 183 that may extend beyond flange 172. The second end 183 mayinclude a release member engaging member 182 that engages with therelease member 130, whereby manipulation of the release member 130, forexample by pushing or pulling in a longitudinal direction, will causethe link 180 to translate back and forth within the channel 168. Asdepicted, the release member engaging member 182 is a bore or depressedportion that receives a first link engaging member 132, such as aprojection or raised portion present on the underside of the releasemember 130, as described in further detail below. In the disclosedembodiment, the second end 183 is disposed (in an elevational sense)between the release member mounting plate 104 and the release member 130in an installed configuration. The first end 181 may include a centerlatch manipulating member 184 that engages with the center latch 200 toplace the center latch 200 in a locked or unlocked condition,respectively, in response to manipulation of the release member 130 andtranslation of the link 180 within channel 168. In the disclosedembodiment, the first end 181 is disposed within cutout 114 of thecenter latch mounting plate 102 and below the center latch 200 in aninstalled configuration, and engages with the center latch 200 from anunderside.

After the push linkage assembly is inserted in the space between themounting plates 102, 104, the link 180 pushed toward the rear of theambulance until it is touching the mounting detail 120. Next, therelease member 130 may installed on the release member mounting plate104. As best shown in FIGS. 10-11, the underside of the release member130 includes release member mounting details 133 that arecorrespondingly positioned with a set of mounting details 120 positionedon the release member mounting plate 104. In the depicted embodiments,the release member mounting details 133 are keyhole slots 134, and thecorresponding mounting details 120 are headed studs. However, it iscontemplated that studs may be located on the release member 130 andcorresponding keyhole slots may be provided on the release membermounting plate 104 (not shown). By doing so, the release member mountingplate remains smooth and free of tripping hazards.

The release member mounting details 133 may be provided in the form ofinterconnected keyhole slots 134, as shown, or multiple separate keyholeslots (not shown). As shown in FIG. 10, pushing the link 180 rearwardbefore installing the release member 130 allows the release memberengaging member 182 to be aligned with and receive the first linkengaging member 132 when the release member 130 is installed on therelease member mounting plate 104 (i.e., when the keyhole slots 134 onthe release member 130 register with mounting details 120 on the releasemember mounting plate 104, as best shown in FIG. 10). Once installed onthe release member mounting plate 104, the release member 130 is thenpushed toward the front of the ambulance, whereby the mounting detailswill be fully engaged with the mounting details 120 in keyhole slots134, as best shown in FIG. 11. As will be described in more detailbelow, the center latch 200 includes a second sliding link engagingmember 99 that will engage with center latch manipulating member 184 (ofcourse, once the center latch 200 is installed on the center latchmounting plate 102). The second sliding link engaging member 299prevents the link 180 from over-travelling in the rearward direction(toward the rear of the ambulance). More specifically, the releasemember 130 will not be able to over-travel back to where it can beremoved (i.e., back to the position shown in FIG. 10).

Referring again to FIG. 9, after the release member 130 is installed onthe release member mounting plate 104 and pushed in a forward direction,the center latch 200 may be installed on the center latch mounting plate102. More particularly, the center latch 200 includes a base 202 with aset of center latch mounting details 204 correspondingly positioned witha set of mounting details 106 positioned on the center latch mountingplate 102. In the depicted embodiments, the center latch mountingdetails 204 are keyhole slots 206, and the corresponding mountingdetails 106 are headed studs 108. However, it is contemplated that studsmay be located on the center latch 200 and corresponding keyhole slotsmay be provided on the center latch mounting plate 102 (not shown). Bydoing so, the center latch mounting plate remains smooth and free oftripping hazards.

As depicted, the set of keyhole slots 206 on the base 202 of the centerlatch 200 are aligned in parallel. In that respect, the center latch 200may be secured to the center latch mounting plate 102 by registering thekeyhole slots 206 with the mounting details 106 and sliding the centerlatch in a straight line (in a direction parallel to the length of theslot portion 210 of the keyhole slot) until the center latch engagementmember 115 engages with the mounting plate engagement member 212. It iscontemplated that the engagement and locking means may also be achievedby rotational displacement instead of straight-line displacement, byarranging the keyhole slots in a circular orientation (not shown). Thecenter latch engagement member 115 and the mounting plate engagementmember 212 may take the form of any type of corresponding connectorsbut, as shown may be a bore 116 and a quick release, spring loadedlocking pin 213, respectively.

The spring loaded locking pin 213 prevents lateral or rotationalmovement once it is engaged with the bore 116 in the center latchmounting plate 102. The spring loaded locking pin 213 is secured in theengaged position by rotating one quarter turn in a typicalbayonet-locking fashion. Alternatively, the spring loaded locking pin213 can be equipped with male threads that match female threads cut intothe receiving detail (i.e., bore 116) of the center latch mounting plate102, thus requiring multiple turns to fully engage or disengage.Optionally, the spring loaded locking pin 213 can be monitored with acontact linked to a electrical monitoring circuit, which allows visualor auditory notice to be provided to the user that the gurney restraintsystem is either or both in a safe condition and not in a safecondition.

The center latch 200 further includes a housing 220 that comprises anupper shell 240 and the base 202, whereby the upper shell 230 connectswith the base 202 via bolts 216. The upper shell 230 includes a guideslots 232 for receiving and guiding the center latch pin 240 intoengagement with center latch locking assembly 250. The guide slot 232 iswider near the leading edge 222 of the housing 200 and tapers to anarrow channel 234. In that respect, with particular reference again toFIG. 7, the guide slot 232 allows the center latch pin 240 to enter thecenter latch 200 at an angle between angle α to angle β from alongudinal axis E. The values of these angles can be adjusted based onspace available, pin position, and/or for other ergonics and securementreasons. In one embodiment, angle α may be 65° and angle β may be 90°.In another embodiment, angle α may be 30° and angle β may be 110°. Inyet another embodiment, angle α may range from 30°-70° and angle β mayrange from 90°-115°, but is not necessarily limited to these values.

The center latch locking assembly 250 may be a linkage assemblycomprising a first link 260 that is bolted at a first link pivot point262 to the upper shell 230. The first link 260 is configured to pivotabout the first link pivot point 262, and includes a center latch pinreceiving portion 264. The center latch pin receiving portion 264 isdefined by a first arm 266 and a second arm 268. When the center latchlocking assembly 250 is in an unlocked condition, shown in FIG. 12, thefirst arm 266 is positioned to block at least a portion of the guideslot 232. In the depicted embodiment, the first arm 266 blocks thechannel 234. As the center latch pin 240 enters the guide slot 232(e.g., when the EMT pushes the control end 12 of the gurney 10 indirection C as shown in FIGS. 7-8), the center latch pin 240 willcontact the first arm 266 and cause the first link 260 to pivot (in acounterclockwise direction as viewed from above in FIG. 9, and clockwisewhen view from the underside in FIGS. 12-13) about the first link pivotpoint 262. As shown in FIG. 13, continued lateral thrusting of thegurney 30 in direction C will cause the center latch pin 240 to continueto rotate the first link 260 and to enter the channel 234. At thispoint, the second arm 268 is blocking the channel 234, securing thecenter latch pin 240 in the center latch 200.

The center latch locking assembly 250 further includes a second link 280that is bolted at a second link pivot point 282 to the upper shell 230,and is linked to the first link 260 via both the upper shell 230 and alinking member 255. The second link 280 includes a second link camsurface 290 that abuts a first link cam surface 270 on the first link260. A spring 300 extends between the first link 260 (at a first linkpost 261) and the second link 280 (at a second link post 281) and isbiased to hold the first link cam surface 270 and second link camsurface 290 in contact. The first link cam surface 270 includes a firstinterference member 272 and the second link cam surface 290 includes asecond interference member 292. When the first link 260 is rotated froman unlocked position (shown in FIG. 12) to a locked position (shown inFIG. 13), the first interference member 272 passes over the secondinterference member 292, whereby a first interference face 274 of thefirst interference member 272 engages a second interference face 294 ofthe second interference member 292 (as best shown in FIG. 14).Engagement between the first interference face 274 and the secondinterference face 294 prevents the first link 260 from rotating (in aclockwise direction when viewed from above in FIG. 9, and counterclockwise when viewed from below in FIGS. 12-14). Notably, the spring300 holds the first interference member 272 in engagement with thesecond interference member 282.

When the first interference member 272 is engaged with the secondinterference member 292, no amount of force exerted by the center latchpin 240 (other than a destructive amount of force), can cause the firstinterference member 272 to disengage from the second interference member292. This is because interference faces 274, 294 are oriented in adirection toward the first link pivot point 262 (i.e, line extensionsfrom the interference faces 274, 294 will intersect or approximatelyintersect the first link pivot point 262, or come in the near vicinity).

However, because the interference faces 274, 294 are oriented at arelatively large angle relative to the second link pivot point 282 (i.e,line extensions from the interference faces 274, 294 do not intersectthe second link pivot point 282, or come even remotely close), only arelatively small rotational force (in a clockwise direction) need beapplied to the second link 280 to disengage the second interferencemember 292 from the first interference member 272, thereby unlocking thecenter latch 200 and releasing the center latch pin 240 from the centerlatch 200. Such a rotational force can be manually applied to the secondlink 280 using release arm 296 which is connected to the second link andextends partially outside of the housing 220. Once the secondinterference member 292 is disengaged from the first interference member272, the residual force in the spring 300 will cause the first link 160to continue to rotate (in a clockwise direction when viewed from abovein FIG. 9 and in a counterclockwise direction when viewed from below inFIGS. 12-13), whereby the first arm 266 will urge (or eject) the centerlatch pin 240 in a direction out of the channel 234. Notably, therelease arm 296 may serve as an emergency release mechanism. Uponreaching under the gurney and manually displacing the release arm 296,the center latch 200 releases and the pre-loaded spring 300 eject thecenter latch pin 240 from the center latch 200. This alternatemechanical release mechanism can facilitate emergency gurney removal inthe event of a component or system failure.

Notably, the second link 280 includes a release post 298 that may bedisposed on a portion of the release arm 296. The release post 298 mayserve as the second link engaging member 299, which engages with a slot186 in the center latch manipulating member 184, as best shown in FIG.14. The base 202 of the center latch 200 includes an opening 214 thataccommodates and receives the center latch manipulating member 184, sothat it may engage with the release post 298. As can be appreciated, thecenter latch pin 240 can be released from the center latch 200 bypushing on the release member 130, which causes the center latchmanipulating member 184 of link 180 to push release post 298 and rotatethe second link 280 (in a clockwise direction when viewed from above inFIG. 9 and counterclockwise when viewed from below in FIGS. 12-13).

While the center latch locking assembly 250 is shown mounted to theupper shell 230, it is contemplated that it may also be mounted to thebase 202.

The center latch pin 240, as best illustrated in FIG. 6, may comprise ashaft portion 242 and a head portion 244, and may be mounted to anunderside of the gurney 30 in a head-down configuration. Notably, shaftportion 242 and head portion 244 may be rounded, or any other shape, solong as the diameter or width of the shaft portion 242 is less than thewidths of the center latch pin receiving portion 264 and channel 234(whereby the center latch pin 240 can be received by the center latch200), and so long as the diameter or width of the head portion 244 isgreater than the widths of the center latch pin receiving portion 264and channel 234 (whereby the center latch pin 240 cannot be disengagedfrom the center latch 200 in a vertical direction). In the depictedembodiment, the shaft portion 242 may include a reduced dimensionportion 246 that is received in the channel 234 and engaged with thecenter latch pin receiving portion 264. The reduced dimension portion246 provides increased tolerance between the center latch pin 240 andthe guide slot 232, without significantly reducing the overall strengthof the center latch pin, including the connection between the centerlatch pin 240 and the gurney 10. In that regard, the shaft portion 242of the center latch pin 240 has threads 248 for securement to a gurneybracket 28, as best shown in FIG. 6. The threads allow for heightadjustment of the center latch pin 240 to ensure proper engagement withthe center latch 200. The gurney bracket 28 may be mounted to a frame 22of the gurney 10, including to the undercarriage 26. Preferable, the atleast one or more or all of the occupant belts 29, such as the shoulderrestraint belts, are routed directly to and attached to the gurneybracket 28 so that a substantial portion of the occupant load during anaccident bypasses the gurney frame and is transferred directly to thecenter latch 200.

The center latch pin 240 should be mounted to the gurney so that, whenthe undercarriage is collapsed and the gurney is being pushed into theambulance, the head portion 244 of the center latch pin 240 is at anelevation corresponding to the center latch 200 and will properly engagewith the center latch. Moreover, the center latch pin 240 may bemounted, in a lateral direction, to one side of the centerline of thegurney, preferably on the side opposite the side latch 40. Thisasymmetric position of the center latch pin 240 and center latch 200improves overall gurney securement when combined with a side latch 40.

In alternative embodiments, the release member 130 can have visualindicators that provide feedback for the operator regarding the lockedor unlocked status of the center latch 200 and/or indicate the directionof force to be applied for release actuation. For example, in theembodiment in FIG. 16 formed on the release member 1130 is the word“PUSH” 1132 in raised text to instruct the operator on direction offorce to be applied to release the gurney 10. The release member 1130can also have arrows 1134 that align with arrows 1106 on release membermounting plate 1104 when the release member 1130 has been shifted anunlocked position. Furthermore, the release member mounting plate 1104may further have an image 1108 of an open lock that is covered by therelease member 1130 when located in the locked position. As anotherexample, in the FIG. 17 embodiment, the release member mounting plate2104 may have the word “LOCK” 2106 or an image of a closed lock, whichis only visible through an opening 2132 in the release member 2130 whenthe release member 2130 is located in a locked position. The releasemember mounting plate 2104 may further or alternatively have the word“UNLOCK” 2108 or an image of a opened lock, which is only visiblethrough the opening 2132 in the release member 2130 when the releasemember 2130 is located in a locked position.

In another alternative embodiment pictured in FIGS. 18-19, the sidelatch 3040 is interconnected to the center latch 3200 by means of ainterconnection assembly 3300 so that a single push release movementgenerated by the side latch handle 3046 simultaneously decouples theside latch 3040 from the fastener post (not shown) and the center latchpin (not shown) from the center latch 3200. In such an embodiment, therelease member 130 and push linkage assembly 160 may be omitted from thesystem. The interconnection assembly 3300 comprises an actuating lever3310 with a top end 3315 disposed near the front-most jaw 3042. When theside latch handle 3046 is pushed forward to the unlatched, position, thejaw 3042 pushes against the top end 3315 of the lever 3310. Theactuating lever 3310 pivots centrally about axis 3312 so that when thejaw 3042 pushes against the upper end 3315 of the lever 3310, the lowerend 3318 moves in the opposite direction and pulls a first end of anattached rigid arm or cable 3330. The other end of the rigid arm orcable 3330 may be connected directly to the second link 280 (forexample, to the release arm 296 or release post 298), or indirectly tothe second link 280 through a system of levers (not shown), to cause thesecond link 180 to rotate in a clockwise direction and release thecenter latch pin 240 from the center latch 240. The pivot assembly 3330may be mass-balanced so that gravitational forces from a crash event inany direction will not inadvertently cause an unintended release. Thenet result of forces acting on the actuating lever 3310 must remainneutral in all situations. When actuating means other than the sidelatch are being used and mass balance cannot be achieved with anactuating lever 3310 that compensates for all masses affected bygravitational loads, spring forces may be relied upon to overcomeincreased forces imposed by crashes. It is important to note thatintroduced spring forces cannot cause resistance excessive for manualoperation.

In another embodiment shown in FIG. 21, the center latch 200 and sidelatch 40 can alternatively be actuated by an electrically linked releasemechanism that is remotely operated. In such an embodiment, the centerlatch 200 and side latch 40 would each be equipped with an electricalcontact device 4000, such as a solenoid, that completes a releasecircuit when activated. More particularly, when activated, the releasecircuit of the center latch 200 would move the first link 260 to itsopen position and the release circuit of the side latch 40 would movethe jaw 42 to its open position. The release circuits could be activated(i.e., triggered) by opening the ambulance patient bay doors or by aswitch or remote device 4100 operated by the EMT.

To secure the patient to the gurney 10, the system can further comprisean improved 4-point cross-strap system 400, illustrated FIG. 19. Thecross-strap system 400 comprises four belts sections 410 stemming fromanchor point disposed on the bottom side of the gurney 10. As discussedabove, preferably, the anchor point is the support bracket 28 for thelatch pin 240, whereby occupant loads will bypass the gurney frame. Eachbelt 410 has a male connector 420 at its end that engages with a centralbuckle 430. Each male connector 420 can be inserted into a correspondingfemale connector 435 of the buckle to trigger a latch mechanism thatfixes the male connector 420 to the female connector 435. The centrallatch-buckle 430 has a release lever 438 that can be rotated to releaseeach latch mechanism in sequence, rather than simultaneously. Thistoggle function allows for the release of one male connector 420 at atime. Further, it prevents dangerous compression forces inadvertentlybeing transmitted to the patient, which can occur with prior art buckleswhere the release function is triggered by the depressing a button.

The restraint system can be integrated with an electrical monitoringsystem. The monitoring system is formed by a series of electrical wiresand contacts distributed through vital components in the gurneyrestraint system. The electrical system is wired to a series of statusindicator lights to provide the information about the status of thesecomponents. In such an embodiment, the center latch 200 and/or sidelatch 40 and/or loading end restraint 30 and/or buckle 430 may beequipped with an electrical contact which signals the indicator lightswhen the respective latch is locked and/or released. Additionalelectrical contact switches may also placed within the system in amanner that signals release of the gurney restraints and the occupantrestraint belts. The status indicator lights can use colors orilluminated texts or symbols to convey the locked or released status ofthe gurney. Audible tones can also be generated by the system to conveythe locked or released status of the gurney. As one example, shown inFIG. 22, an alternative embodiment of the center latch 1200 can beprovided with a laser or light projector 1210 that illuminate surfacesof the vehicle, such as the floor, with a light pattern 1220 or varioussymbols 1230 that will indicate one or both a safe/secured andunsafe/unsecured condition. The center latch 1200 of FIG. 22 can also beprovided with a speaker 1240 that provides auditory notice of one orboth a safe/secured and unsafe/unsecured condition. In alternativeembodiments, the laser or light projector and speaker can be provided inor on another component of the vehicle or gurney restraint system. Asyet another example, shown in FIG. 23, the buckle 1435 can be providedwith one or more LED or other light emitting sources 1440, 1445, 1450,1455 that provide visual notice of one or both a safe/secured andunsafe/unsecured condition.

Although the inventions described and claimed herein have been describedin considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments, oneskilled in the art will appreciate that the inventions described andclaimed herein can be practiced by other than those embodiments, whichhave been presented for purposes of illustration and not of limitation.Therefore, the spirit and scope of the appended claims should not belimited to the description of the embodiments contained herein.

We claim:
 1. A restraint system for securing a gurney in a vehicle, therestraint system comprising a first gurney restraint for engaging with aloading end of the gurney, a second gurney restraint for engaging with aside of the gurney, and a third gurney restraint for engaging with acenter region of the gurney.